In the Heart of Life
by WishUponAStar1015
Summary: Once upon a stormy night, little Yugi wakes to find police talking to his Grandpa. Grandpa's friend had been murdered and said friend's granddaughter needed a place to stay...COMPLETE SUMMARY INSIDE
1. Prologue

**Right, so I had some issues with trying to upload this on fanfiction...Anyway, this is the only chapter of In The Heart of Life that will be published until I finish my Harry Potter story (I only have two more chapters to go on that story)**

**And...I'll be doing this along the american anime, but I'll change Tea/Anzu's speeches if I feel it gets too...friendshippy (is that a word?) mainly because I don't have enough of the manga to go by and if I was making transcripts of the anime, it was a little too hard to tell their voices apart in Japanese.**

**So, read if you want and leave some comments if you wish!**

**Full Summary: One upon a stormy night Yugi wakes up to find his Grandpa talking with the police. It seems that his good friend had died suddenly and his granddaughter had nowhere to stay. Out of the kindness of his heart, Inari was welcomed to the family although she couldnt be adopted due to her parents in jail. Can Yugi heal her battered soul and can Inari bring Yugi out of his shell?**

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><p><strong>In the Heart of Life<strong>

**Prologue**

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><p><em>It was a strangely stormy night. The forecasters had been wrong about the weather, not that failure was anything new, but for a storm of this intensity to suddenly blow up…well, it was strange. <em>

_A crash of thunder woke a little boy from his bed. It was around two thirty in the morning so the boy, ten years of age from the looks of it, tried to go back to sleep. But, as he attempted to drift off back into the darkness, he thought that he heard voices from downstairs._

_Now, the boy lived in a three level building. The top level had four bedrooms – one for him, one for his grandfather, a guestroom for his friends when they spent the night, and the third one was used for storage most of the time. There was nothing much in it at the moment._

_The second level housed the kitchen, bathrooms, and the living room, and the bottom floor housed a pretty decent sized game shop. His grandfather owned the Kame Game Shop._

_The boy heard the voices again and, out of curiosity, threw back the covers of his bed. He wandered down the stairs, yellow-black-red spiked hair askew, and stopped short at the scene in front of him. _

_Bad feeling starts now._

_Two policemen were talking to his grandfather while a third was keeping a girl on the couch calm. Not that she needed calming – she wasn't making a noise at all. Silent tears were streaking down her cheeks, causing her startling silver-grey eyes to become red rimmed. Her lilac colored hair was short and tangled, reaching a little below her chin, but the boy still thought that she was pretty. A small blush formed on his face when her eyes met his own and he realized that he was in his sleeping wear. He calmed slightly when he realized that her small dark purple nightgown was ripped in places. Dark bruises were scattered on her porcelain skin and there was one on her neck. It almost looked like…handprints._

_"Yugi." His grandfather's voice caught his attention. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up into his grandfather's face. What was weird was the fact that in his grandfather's eyes were filled with tears._

_"Mutou-san, we'll take our leave now." One of the policemen said as the third stood from the couch. All three of the policemen bowed before they left the girl alone with the two strange men._

_"Grandpa? What's going on?" Yugi asked in a small, confused, and scared voice. His grandfather only held up a finger. He approached the small girl and began to stroke her hair. Yugi hopped up on the couch as well, looking at the stoic girl with worried eyes._

_"Inari, why don't you go take a bath while I explain everything to Yugi, here. He's my grandson, remember?" the girl, Inari, hadn't taken her eyes off Yugi, but at the sound of Mutou Sugoroku's voice, she slowly nodded. The older man easily readied her bath and led her to the bathroom. He left the door unlocked just in case he felt something was wrong. He also gave Inari a pair of Yugi's old pajamas._

_"Grandpa?" Yugi prodded again. His grandfather sighed and sat down next to the boy._

_"Do you remember a friend of mine who went by the name of Seijiro Kouryuu?" the old man asked with a tired expression on his face. Yugi nodded. He took care of his granddaughter like his grandfather was taking care of him._

_"He was killed last night. The same person tried to kill Inari as well." Sugoroku explained with a sigh. The small boy named Yugi gasped – how could anyone want to hurt that little girl?_

_"Who…?" Yugi trailed off, not able to finish asking his grandfather the dreaded question._

_"Her father." At that Yugi drew in a sharp breath. His eyes widened and his fingers curled into fists._

_"Did they catch him?" Yugi asked, eyes almost pleading with his grandfather. Sugoroku's eyes were downcast and the little boy knew that he had raised his hopes for nothing._

_"No, but Inari is from Kyoto. There is a chance that he won't follow her here with all of the police roaming about. There is a warrant for his arrest, which means that he won't show his face for a while. Let's hope that he's caught, alright?" the older man said with a tight smile. A few moments of silence passed before Sugoroku spoke again._

_"Yugi, I'm counting on you to be a good friend to Inari. She'll be staying here for a while. Show her around and protect her." The old man said. Yugi thought to when he first saw Inari's blank, tearstained face. He felt a tug in his chest and looked up, a determined gleam in his eyes._

_"I will, Grandpa. You can count on me."_


	2. The Heart of the Cards Part One

**Right, so I'm breaking each episode into seperate chapters (maybe three or four) so it is easier to read.**

**Thanks to:**

**IncurablyAwesome - Ah, yes, that might have been confusing. I had forgotten about that until I actually posted the prologue, but then I didnt want to go back and change it.**

**MyLifeInWhole - Whoa...were you just excited to read more of the story or something? Well, I finished Harry Potter:It Begins, so I can work on this more.**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

**The Heart of the Cards Part One**

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><p>Five years passed since Seijiro Inari appeared in the life of Mutou Yugi. True to his word, he and Inari were very close – the best of friends. They were inseparable and it also helped that Inari shared Yugi's interest in Duel Monsters.<p>

Inari had been scarred by her brief encounter with her father and was now a voluntary mute. She barely said a word, but when she did it was celebrated with fervor.

She had grown since her first night at the Mutou residence. Her lilac colored hair now reached her lower back and was usually kept back in two neat buns on either side of her hair. She wore black ribbons in her hair to keep them up. Her silver-grey eyes were now more silvery than grey, but Sugoroku, or Grandpa as he told her to call him, told her that just made her prettier.

Yugi, unfortunately, hadn't grown very much in their five years together. His wild tri-colored hair and unique violet eyes were the same as always, but Inari wouldn't have that any other way. Actually, the only two people she talked to were Grandpa and Yugi. She still wouldn't talk to any of their friends at school.

The two were fifteen years old and they were in the tenth grade at Domino High School. It was where the two of them were now, surrounded by their classmates. They were wearing the standard uniforms for Domino high – a blue jacket, pants, and a white shirt for Yugi and a blue miniskirt with a white shirt and pink jacket (with a blue tie) for Inari.

Yugi was currently dueling with Jonouchi Katsuya, one of his and Inari's friends. Katsuya, or Jou as his friends call him, wore the same uniform that Yugi did, but he was so much taller than his counterpart and had a head full of blond hair.

"Hey Jou, Earth to Jou!" Yugi exclaimed as the lavender haired girl beside him giggled lightly. "Hey, are you in there? It's your turn." He said, giving a sidelong glance to the lavender haired girl that was sitting beside him. She was looking at the cards in his hands.

The blond, Jou, had a few cards in his hands as well. He was thinking hard as he was just learning the game. Another teenager, a brunette by the name of Honda Hiroto, who just went by Honda most of the time, threw himself on top of Jou.

"Aw, isn't he cute when he's thinking? Eh, Inari?" Honda had dedicated himself to making Inari talk. It wasn't for any other reason except for the fact that he wanted to help her heal from her traumatic experience. Yugi was the only one who knew most of the events, but the others only knew that she had been through a tough time.

"Honda!" Jou exclaimed, waving his arm to try to get the brunette to let go, "Yugi, here, is teachin' me how to play Duel Monsters. Inari's helpin' 'em."

"Drooling Monsters?" Honda questioned, electing a quiet giggle from the silvery eyed female sitting beside Yugi. He grinned at his accomplishment no matter how stupid it may have sounded.

"Duel Monsters, you nimrod!" Jou countered with a glare. He shoved the brunette away from him and Honda ended up stumbling into their only other female friend. She was a tall brunette by the name of Mazaki Anzu.

"Sheesh!" Honda replied, straightening himself.

"They've been at it for hours!" Anzu exclaimed, "Jou's starting to get the hang of the game, but Yugi's like an expert! Inari's no help either. She's as good as Yugi."

"Okay, Yugi, it's time to duel!" and with that the blond haired teenager set down a card in the attack position.

"See, each card has an attack number and a defense number." Anzu explained to the clueless brunette. "First person who eliminates their opponent's life points wins the duel." She finished, looking back towards the dueling pair. Inari was nodding at Anzu's explanation.

"Pretty good move, huh Yugi?" Jou questioned with a grin. Yugi smiled and nodded, turning towards his friend.

"Which one do you think I should play?" he questioned, indicating between two cards. Inari pointed towards one with a green dragon on it and he nodded. It was the one he was leaning towards playing in the first place.

"Yup! Pretty good move," he said, slapping down his card, "but not good enough!"

Inari giggled again as Jou blanched, glaring at Yugi's card.

"What? Thanks a lot!" he sighed. "A card that powerful totally wipes me out!"

"Whoa, you stink at this game, Jou." Honda blatantly said. Yugi laughed and rubbed the back of his head.

"No, you did fine, Jou. I just have better cards. See, my Grandpa owns a game shop and I get all my best cards from him." Inari nodded at Yugi's words, pointing towards her dueling case that held her deck.

"Ah, that's right. Inari gets her cards from Grandpa, too." Jou got excited at this.

"Your own game shop? What're we waitin' for? Let's go!"

"Okay. Maybe I can get my Grandpa to show us this super rare card he's got!" Yugi said, excitement lining his eyes.

Over at his own desk, isolated by the others due to his attitude and intelligence, sat a brunette by the name of Kaiba Seto. His cold eyes were scanning the book he was reading, but he couldn't help but overhear what Yugi was saying.

'_Rare card?' _he thought, '_Could they have found the card I've been searching for?' _

Later that day, after school had been let out, Yugi and Inari led their friends to Grandpa's game shop.

"Grandpa?" Yugi called, opening the door. He held it open for Inari while holding her bag – it had become a habit ever since she came into his life and he wanted to do something nice for her.

"I'm home!" Yugi called again, finally spotting his Grandpa sitting behind the counter.

"And I see you and Inari have brought company!" the old man laughed.

"Gramps, could you show my friends your awesome super rare card?" Yugi asked, looking up at his Grandpa.

"Please?" Inari whispered softly. She was trying to get better, but most of the time she found it difficult to talk and only talked with either one word or in short sentences.

Grandpa looked at Inari with a soft look on his face. She was like a granddaughter to him and he was secretly hoping that she and Yugi would become an item.

"Rare card? You mean my special card?" the old man questioned, rubbing his chin. Yugi clapped his hands together and followed Inari's actions.

"Please, please!" he pleaded with his Grandpa. Even Jou started to bow towards the old man.

"Pretty please?" the blond questioned.

"How can I refuse? Especially to dear Inari's cute face!" the old man laughed. "You kids are in for a real treat. I don't take this card out too often." Grandpa said with a grin as he dug underneath the desk he was sitting at to retrieve a worn yet sturdy box.

"Ready? Here it is." He took out a card with a white dragon with blue eyes. Grandpa held it gently between his fingers and cradled it like it was a newborn.

"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon, so rare, so powerful – I never let it leave my hands." Everyone was cooing at the card, but Honda plucked the card from the old man's grip in a nonchalant manner.

"It doesn't look all that special to me." he grunted, eyes narrowed. Inari gasped and pulled on Honda's jacket.

"Don't!" she softly exclaimed. While Honda was distracted, Grandpa was able to get his card back.

"This card is priceless! There are only four of them in the world!" the old man said, hunching over his card. It reminded Jou of the reason why he came.

"Speaking of priceless – I'm ready to train!" the blond boy said with a grin.

"Not for this card!" Grandpa said, still huddling over his card.

"Huh?" Jou questioned with a confused look on his face. "Oh, I didn't mean that card. I meant show me some other cool cards to get me started." He continued, looking around the display case that was in the front of the shop.

Suddenly the door to the shop opened. A familiar figure approached, but only Inari noticed who it was right away.

"Hello, can I help you?" Grandpa asked in a cheerful manner.

"If you can't, it certainly wouldn't surprise me." the voice Kaiba Seto, most called him Kaiba, echoed through the meager store. He was still dressed in his school uniform, but he was holding a metal briefcase in his left hand.

"Seto Kaiba!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Kaiba?" Jou shouted as well. Inari stared at her classmate in confusion – what would he be doing here? Was there some sort of game that he wanted? Kaiba's eyes flickered toward her for a moment before settling back on the shop owner.

"Doesn't he have a big fancy company to run? What's he doing all the way down here?" Honda questioned. It was true, Kaiba was the CEO of a company called KaibaCorp.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I came to see the card." He said with a smirk and a dark glint to his eye.

"Hey, are you into Duel Monsters, too?" Jou asked with a smile, "This is perfect! Maybe we can all duel together sometime." He continued, trying to be friendly. Kaiba's eyes flickered to the lavender haired girl standing next to the counter once again before smirking even wider.

"Me? Duel you?" Kaiba drawled, "I would have more of a challenge playing solitaire." He said. Inari softly gasped and then gave Kaiba a soft glare.

"What?" Jou asked, confused.

"I am the number one ranked duelist in the country and the favorite to win the Duel Monsters championship." Kaiba said in a haughty voice, "You wouldn't last two minutes in a duel against me."

This made Jou grow angry.

"Oh, I'm shakin'. Maybe you'd like to settle this with fists instead of cards." He threatened, taking a hostile stance in front of the young CEO. Yugi, sensing his friend's growing anger, stepped in front of him.

"Whoa, take it easy, Jou." He said, putting his hands on his friend's chest.

"But Yugi…Kaiba's askin' for it." The blond teenager protested, glaring at the young CEO.

"Now does this shop have any worthwhile cards or not?" Kaiba ignored Jou's advances and stared straight at Grandpa. Then, he spotted the rare card sitting innocently in the worn case that Grandpa revealed to the teenagers. The brunette boy raced forward, shoving Jou and Honda out of the way before he leaned down to confirm that it was the card he had been looking for.

"Can it be? The Blue-Eyes White Dragon…in a dump like this?" he rushed out as he stared down at the rare card.

'_It is! The card I've been searching for!'_ Kaiba thought to himself. Grandpa grew unnerved and closed the container that was on top of the display case.

"Well, enough window shopping." Grandpa said, "Is there anything else I can help you with?" he continued, looking expectantly at the teenager before him. Kaiba grew angry – he wanted that dragon card. He slammed his briefcase on top of the display case and opened it, turning it so that it was facing Grandpa.

"Listen old man. Give me your Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and I'll give you all of these." Kaiba demanded as Grandpa marveled over all of the rare cards. Unfortunately, none of these cards were worth as much as the dragon card inside Grandpa's case. Yugi, Jou, Anzu, and Inari gasped and wowed at the amount of rare cards inside the case, but Honda just stared blankly at the cards.

"Ah, nice. But no thanks." Grandpa said, sticking by his beliefs that he would never trade or sell his special card.

"Fine. If you won't trade then maybe you'll sell it. Name your price." Kaiba demanded, glaring down at the old man. "I can pay anything you ask." The young CEO was smug in his declaration. Inari frowned at him – she didn't particularly care for people like him.

"I'm sure you could." Grandpa started, "But this card is worth more to me than anything you could ever offer. Not because of its power, or because it's so rare…but because of what it means to me." out of the corner of his eye, Grandpa could see Yugi glance at the silvery eyed girl standing beside him.

"This card was given to me by a dear friend. And so I treasure this card as I do that friend." Grandpa explained as he held the box close to his heart. "So parting with it is completely out of the question!"

'_No!'_ Seto thought as he clenched his fist. His entire body shook with rage as he stared at the box within Grandpa's grasp.

"You'd feel the same even if it were a common card, right Grandpa?" Yugi asked with a smile.

"Exactly. You see, this card has bonded with my heart." The old man said with a bright smile.

"Fine!" Kaiba hissed as he slammed the metal suitcase closed. He turned and left the game shop, muttering to himself. "I've had enough of this, senile old man."

'_Heart of the cards…ridiculous. These cards are all about power._' Kaiba thought to himself as his driver went towards their destination. _'And one way or another…his Blue-Eyes White Dragon card will be mine.'_


	3. The Heart of the Cards Part Two

**So, here's the next chapter of the story!**

**Thanks to:**

**grapejuice101 - Yes, I am doing all of the seasons for the original YuGiOh.**

**MyLifeInWhole - Yup! I'll try to finish all of my other in progress stories (Except for Naruto and the Pokemon story because they'll literally take forever before I can finish them) so I can work on this one. =)**

**ILoveReadingAndWriting - lol I'm glad you like my stories so much. I'll be glad to share some of my plots with you if you want to write a story of your own as well. (I'm still planning your story. I might not start it until after I finish another of my older in progress stories)**

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

**The Heart of the Cards Part Two**

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><p>Across town, in one of the tallest buildings of Domino City – KaibaCorp – Kaiba Seto was talking to a few of his workers. He was still ultimately pissed off that an old man such as Granpa had the galls to deny him what he wanted most of all.<p>

"Gentleman." He said to his subordinates. "There's something I want you to pick up at the game shop." He continued, eyes narrowing as he thought about that rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon card.

"Gladly, Kaiba-sama." The subordinate replied with a smirk. His voice was slick, an almost clear indicator that he was no stranger to evil deeds.

Minutes later, two of Kaiba's subordinate's arrived at the Kame Game Shop. Grandpa was alone in the actual store while Inari was in the back room. She had stayed home with a light fever, but since she had been feeling better she offered to help him with small things around the shop. He was essentially the only employee and since it was a Saturday, the others were still at school. Grandpa had his back turned to the door and he was scrubbing up the display case, making it shine for potential customers.

"Good morning." Grandpa greeted, turning around. His face darkened as he saw the three men dressed in black. The older man glanced at the back room and his face fell when Inari came to see if she could help.

"My master, Kaiba Seto, challenges you to a duel." Said the shortest man with the glasses. Inari crept closer to Grandpa, frightened of the three men.

"You and the girl will come with us now." Said the short man, glancing at the girl. He could have no witnesses.

"And…if we were…to decline?" Grandpa asked cautiously, pulling the lavender haired girl behind him.

"I'm afraid I must…insist." The shorter man said as his glasses flashed threateningly. The two taller and buffer men stepped forward with frowns on their faces.

'_Young Kaiba doesn't understand…'_ Grandpa thought, _'but I'll teach him a lesson about the Heart of the Cards…and I can't let little Inari get hurt.' _

Meanwhile, the others were on their way to the Game Shop. They were on their way back from school. Yugi couldn't wait to check on Inari, but Jou wanted to see what kinds of cards Grandpa had for him to look at.

"Man, I hope he has some good cards today!" Jou exclaimed in excitement.

"Me, too!" Yugi piped up. Although he was worried about Inari, he was still excited about the new cards his Grandpa had gotten in. As soon as they reached the shop, Jou burst in through the front door.

"Okay, Gramps, I'm back to get more cards!" Jou yelled through the shop. "Hey! Hey, Gramps!"

"Grandpa, I'm home!" Yugi yelled for his Grandpa. If Inari was still upstairs, she most likely wouldn't hear him.

"Maybe…he went out?" Anzu suggested as the four of them looked around.

"Maybe…but why would he leave the door unlocked?" Jou questioned. Yugi's worry started to kick in.

"And Inari is sick upstairs. He wouldn't leave the door unlocked when she's sick." Yugi said. Suddenly, the phone on the wall started to ring.

"Hello? Kame Game Shop." Yugi answered as was customary when his Grandpa wasn't around.

"Ahh, Yugi. Perfect." Came a familiar and sinister voice over the phone.

"Kaiba?" the young teenager yelled, surprised.

"Your grandfather's here, visiting, but he's not feeling well. He must have caught something from your friend…Inari was it? She decided to come for a visit as well." He sneered through the phone, "Why don't you come by my office and pick them up."

"Kaiba?" he shouted, worry increasing as his heart thudded in his chest, "What have you done, Kaiba?" but all he received was the dial tone. Wasting no more time, the four friends ran as fast as they could to Kaiba's office. The four of them rode the elevator to the top and they exclaimed in shock when they saw Grandpa lying on the ground. Inari was missing.

"Grandpa!" Yugi exclaimed, running to his side. "Grandpa, are you okay?"

"Yugi, I failed." Grandpa said, sweat pouring down his face, "I wanted to teach that boy a lesson about the Heart of the Cards…but I lost…and he has Inari. She's still sick, Yugi." Grandpa said, looking down. Yugi gasped in shock and his fist clenched in anger. It had been a while since she had taken any medicine and she could only get worse from there. Grandpa groaned and fell to the floor once again.

"Grandpa!"

Suddenly, the door opened in front of him, revealing Kaiba to them. He was in his school uniform, but he was holding a certain lavender haired girl in a bridal style.

"Inari!" Yugi exclaimed, becoming furious.

"How's the old man feeling, hm? About the same as this one, here?" he asked, jerking his head down to look at the unconscious girl.

"Kaiba!" Jou shouted, angry. "You sleaze, what have you done to them?"

"The old man and I had a duel, that's all. We put up our most powerful card as the prize, but the girl slept through it all. Seems she has quite the fever, too." He laughed, "But I guess playing against a champion, like myself, was just too much stimulation for the old fool."

"Kaiba!" Anzu yelled, pointing a finger at him. "You should be ashamed of yourself. If Inari's fever has gotten worse, you should've taken her to a hospital!"

"It was fair…and I don't really care. Look at the sweet prize I won." He said, setting the lavender haired girl down carelessly by his feet. She tumbled a little bit, eyes cracking open to see everyone else before her.

"Yugi…" she whispered as Kaiba took out Grandpa's beloved Blue-Eyes White Dragon card. He then promptly ripped it in half. Everyone, including Inari gasped. She shot straight up and grabbed his wrist.

"You idiot!" she hissed at him before sinking to the ground again in a coughing fit.

"Grandpa's most treasured card…" Yugi gasped.

"Yes, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon _is_ a rare and powerful card…" Kaiba started, "and this one will never be used against me." the brunette teenager said without a care in the world.

"My…my Blue-Eyes White Dragon! My treasure!" Grandpa said before collapsing again. Inari gathered the pieces and went to crawl back to Yugi, but Kaiba caught her by the wrist.

"Let her go! How could you do such a thing?" Yugi shouted, referring to both kidnapping his Grandpa and Inari and ripping up his Grandpa's card.

"Yugi…here…take this." Grandpa said, holding out his deck of cards. Inari smiled – if Yugi was going to be the one dueling Kaiba, she had no doubts. Yugi would win. She would have dueled him herself, but she hadn't dueled anyone since before she came to live with Yugi…when the game first came out.

"Grandpa…"

"I built this deck…I put my soul in these cards…and I taught you and Inari everything I know…" he said with a serious look in his eyes, "take them. Take my cards and teach him respect. Teach Kaiba respect for the Heart of the Cards, Yugi."

"But Grandpa, you need help! I've got to get you to a doctor. Inari needs to get to a hospital!" the young teenager protested.

"That's not possible…" Kaiba commented. "and that sounds like an excuse. Your friends can care for your grandfather while you and I duel. Think about it like this – if you don't duel me, Inari suffers the consequences."

He was right. For every moment that passed, Inari was getting worse. Her fever had spiked once again and she was fighting off a dizzy spell.

"Unless you're afraid?"

"You can do it, Yugi!" everyone was shocked. This was the loudest that they had ever heard Inari speak before. Yugi's eyes welled up in tears as he looked at her. "I believe you can do it, my friend." She said in a softer voice, tilting her head to the side and giving him a gentle smile.

"Take him, Yugi!" Jou shouted, catching Yugi's attention.

"Huh?" the young teenager questioned.

"We can take care of your grandpa while you take care of creepy Kaiba. Teach that rich spoilt kid what real dueling is all about." The blond teenager said with a look of determination etched onto his face.

"For your Grandpa and Inari, Yugi." Anzu added

"I don't know." Yugi mumbled.

"Trust me. You're like the best player I've ever seen…and you've got the Millennium Puzzle!" Jou exclaimed, referring to the strange puzzle that hung around the young teenager's neck. "You can do this, Yugi! You've gotta, for Inari! I know you can!"

"We all do." Anzu added.

"Yugi…" Inari whispered loud enough for him to hear.

"Alright. I'll do it." Yugi said, nodding his head and taking the deck from his Grandpa.

"I know you will, my boy." He said with a smile.

"Everyone, put your hands together. I'll mark us with a special sign." Anzu said, drawing a smiley face on her, Jou, Honda, and Yugi's hands. She drew a heart on Yugi's hand that matched a birthmark on Inari's hand.

"What gives, Anzu?"

"It's a symbol of our friendship so that when Yugi's dueling, no matter how tough it gets, he knows he's not alone. Inari's over there with _Kaiba_ so I drew a heart on Yugi's hand for her." They all grinned and minutes later, the three friends ran out of the building with Grandpa just as an ambulance arrived. Inari, Kaiba, and Yugi were together in the building.

Suddenly, Anzu stopped in front of the ambulance. Jou looked at her with a questioning expression on his face.

"Jou, Honda and I can take Yugi's Grandpa to the hospital. You get back in there and cheer Yugi on! I have a feeling that Inari isn't going to be in any shape to."

"Okay. Take good care of him, Anzu." Jou said.

Inside, Kaiba still had a grip on Inari's wrist. He led her and Yugi to a dueling arena located inside of KaibaCorp.

"I designed this virtual stadium myself." Kaiba explained. "Impressive, hm?" he questioned with a smirk upon his face. "I think you'll agree. It adds a bit more life to the game."

He threw Inari to the side as he mounted one of the stands. Yugi rushed to her side, but one of Kaiba's crones got to her first.

"Don't worry about me." she said, glaring at the brunette teenager. A light sheen of sweat was dripping on her forehead as her fever worsened. Her hair had fallen out of its normal hairstyle, flowing down her back and making her look even more vulnerable than usual.

Yugi tightened one of his hands into a fist and glared at Kaiba as he mounted his own stand.

"Each player has two thousand life points. The first one who reaches zero looses." Kaiba explained with a smirk. "Are you ready to play, runt?" he questioned, not caring about Inari any more.

"Play time is over, Kaiba!" Yugi exclaimed, furious. His mysterious puzzle started to glow and Inari gasped in surprise. What was happening to her sweet Yugi? Yugi's hair started to defy its natural state, some of his blond locks standing on end. His eyes became a sharp amber-purple and he became taller, too. Was she the only one to notice these changes? What happened to the Yugi she knew before? _Her _Yugi?

Apparently Kaiba noticed the change as well.

"Ah…what the-?" he sputtered as Yugi smirked at him, sharp eyes staring down the formerly confident brunette teenager.

Even Yugi's voice had changed to a deeper baritone pitch.

"Now, Kaiba. Prepare yourself for its time to duel!"


	4. The Heart of the Cards Part Three

**I worked hard on this to get it out today! I had to work on a paper and complete a study guide as well. Time to study...**

**Thanks to:**

**grapejuice101 - Dun, dun, dun...Yes, here is the next chapter! I'm thinking about breaking each episode into four parts so they aren't too long to read for some people.**

**MyLifeInWhole - Yeah, Kaiba is an asshole. Haha Kadaj as in Kadaj from FF Advent Children? He was hot, but Yazoo was hot as well. Loz...not so much. XD**

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

**The Heart**** of the Cards Part Three**

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><p>"Virtual systems ready!" Kaiba sneered at the changed Yugi. The Yugi that Inari didn't know…but he seemed confident. "So let's begin!" Kaiba declared as they started their game and drew five cards each.<p>

"I attack with the mighty Hitotsu-Me Giant!" Kaiba yelled, "Brace yourself, Yugi. You've never dueled like this before." Kaiba said as a green light formed in front of the young teenager. Suddenly, a green ogre like hologram formed in front of Yugi.

"Huh? He's brought the monster on the card to life!" the darker Yugi exclaimed as he reared back in surprise.

"This is my virtual simulator. It creates life like holographs of every Duel Monster." Kaiba boasted. Inari shivered and sank to her knees – she was getting tired. At least the thug Kaiba had hired was paying no attention to her.

"So _this _is how you beat my Grandfather!" the dark Yugi shouted, bringing up a card. Inari watched silently and intently, reverting back to her quiet personality.

"Well, now it's my turn!" the dark Yugi exclaimed, "I call upon the Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress!" he commanded the dragon to appear and it did. The Winged Dragon appeared much like Kaiba's Hitotsu-Me Giant did: in a beam of green light.

Suddenly, Jou appeared in the stadium. He glanced at Inari in concern before turning his attention to the holograms.

"Wha? Monsters? Real monsters?" he exclaimed in shock just in time to see the Hitotsu-Me Giant try to attack dark Yugi's Winged Dragon.

"Fireball Attack!" he shouted and the Winged Dragon reared up, spitting a giant fireball from his mouth at the opposing card. The Hitotsu-Me Giant was destroyed in a glittering shower of shards. Kaiba cowered back from the un-harmful explosion.

Just as the explosion came to pass, a little boy with long black hair came running into the arena. He came to a stop next to Inari and Kaiba's crone, glaring at said crone.

"Let her go!" he said before he turned to Kaiba, "Big brother!" he exclaimed. Fortunately for the lavender haired girl, the man let her go. She hurried over to Jou and hid behind him, sinking to the floor once again. She looked curiously at the little boy – he was wearing a long sleeved shirt with a blue bandanna around his neck. He wore long pants and sneakers as well. This was Kaiba's brother?

"Are you alright?" the boy asked again as Kaiba's life points went down two hundred points.

"Alright! Go Yugi!" Jou exclaimed as he jumped in the air.

"Hm…well played…for a beginner. But how will you deal with this?" and Kaiba slapped a card down on the field. The green light that signified the forming of a hologram took place.

"Saggi the Dark Clown?" dark Yugi questioned in confusion, "But that card has hardly any attack strength."

"True, your Winged Dragon's attack is at fourteen hundred, while my Dark Clown's is at six hundred…but if I combine it with _this_ card…" he set down a magic card on his board, "The Negative Energy Generator. It multiplies my monster's attack by three." Kaiba sneered at the teenager he was dueling.

The Dark Clown's attack points were at eighteen hundred while the Winged Dragon's attack points were four hundred points lower.

"Dark Clown, attack with Dark Light!" the Dark Clown threw his arms into the air and almost immediately a dark sphere formed between its hands. The dark sphere hit the Winged Dragon and destroyed it at once. The dark Yugi's life points went down by four hundred.

"As you can see, combining cards can be very effective." Kaiba laughed. Inari glared weakly at him before letting out a cough. She didn't like Kaiba at all.

'_He's good.' _Yugi thought, _'He knows every aspect of this game.' _Yugi continued to think as he placed his hand on his deck, getting ready to draw a card. '_But my Grandpa put all of his gaming knowledge, his whole heart into assembling this deck. I have to believe that it holds some secret strategy.' _He continued to think as he took a look at the card that he drew. He creased his eyebrows as he realized the card was the Left Leg of Exodia.

'_This card is useless. I can't beat the Dark Clown with this. I'll have to use a different monster in defense mode. My monster will be sacrificed, but my overall life points will be safe.' _Yugi thought as he put his monster on the field, face down in defense mode.

"Dark Light attack!" Kaiba ordered and the Dark Clown thrust its hands in the air again. The dark orb formed once again and he thrust it towards the facedown card.

"Hang in there, Yugi!" Jou shouted.

"Yugi!" Inari called to the best of her ability. Her voice was starting to give out. The Dark Clown destroyed two more of Yugi's cards and the teenager was getting frustrated.

"You're not faring any better than the old man did, Yugi." Kaiba sneered at him through haughty eyes. "Your deck is as weak and feeble as your Grandfather."

"My Grandfather is a great man and a better duelist than you'll ever be." Yugi exclaimed with a glare. Inari nodded before wincing and holding her head in her hand.

"You okay?" Jou asked her quietly. She shook her head and sighed, trying to get her head to cease pounding.

"Why don't you rest a bit? We both know Yugi is going to kick Kaiba's ass." Jou kindly said as she looked up to him. Finally she shook her head again.

"No, I want to see him fall." Inari said quietly. It was the most she had ever said to him directly and it took Jou by surprise. He nodded and stood protectively behind her.

"He entrusted me with these cards and I can feel his heart in this deck." Yugi explained, "I doubt you have that kind of faith in your cards, Kaiba!" the angry teenager exclaimed as his eyes narrowed. He kept looking at Inari out of the corner of his eyes, feeling even more worried each time he saw her weakened form. He turned his gaze back to Kaiba, who gasped in shock.

"But I _believe_ in my grandpa's deck." Yugi said with conviction as he drew his card. He looked at it and smirked, placing it on its appropriate spot. "And my faith rewards me with Gaia the Fierce Knight!"

Inari smiled widely as the purple horse and knight appeared in a flash of green light.

"With an attack power of twenty-three hundred!" and with that Kaiba scowled as the knight destroyed his Dark Clown like it was nothing at all. Kaiba's life points were now at thirteen hundred.

"Way to go, Yugi! Inari's proud of you!" Jou exclaimed as he saw Inari's lips twitch upward into a smile. The dark Yugi stood with his arms crossed, a giant smirk on his lips.

"Alright, Kaiba. Your move."

"Ha. This will be over sooner than you think." Kaiba sneered, trying to reassure himself that it would be alright. He pulled a card and smirked, blue eye narrowing as he viewed the name and picture.

"I'll call upon the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" he cried as the familiar form of the Blue-Eyes formed in a bright green light.

"Huh? No way!" Yugi blurted out.

"Impossible! We all watched Kaiba tear that card in half!" Jou exclaimed.

"No…Yugi…" Inari whispered to herself.

"Surprised? Did you think your Grandfather was the only one who possessed a Blue-Eyes White Dragon?" the white dragon opened its mouth and a blue-white stream of lightning shot towards the fierce knight, completely destroying him. Yugi's life points dropped to nine hundred.

"Huh, your fierce knight is destroyed. Faith or no faith, you will fall to my superior cards. Power is what this game is all about, you fool." The brunette teenager said with yet another smirk on his face. Inari was starting to get tired of them all. "Fate is for losers, like your pathetic Grandfather. In your entire deck there isn't a single card that can stand up to a Blue-Eyes White Dragon…so what hope do you have against two?" Kaiba questioned as he held up a second Blue-Eyes card.

The second Blue-Eyes White Dragon was summoned in the same green light as all of the others and everyone besides Kaiba's little brother looked at it in dread.

"Why don't you just admit defeat, Yugi?" for a moment Yugi did think about giving up, but just as suddenly he heard his Grandfather's voice telling him not to give in. The teenager glanced at the girl in front of Jou and his gaze hardened.

"I will not give up!" Yugi shouted, voice echoing through the entire stadium. "Grandpa and Inari are counting on me." he said as he drew a card. "A magic card." He whispered to himself.

"Swords of Revealing Light!" Yugi shouted, "It stops all monsters on the field for three turns."

"How desperate." Kaiba sneered, "What possible good will a three turn delay do you?"

It looked like the brunette teenager was going to burst out in maniacal laughter any moment now.

'_He's right. What do I do? I can't figure out what to do with these cards!' _Yugi thought, _'They're just a bunch of…pieces. How can I use them to battle an expert like Kaiba?' _he continued thinking as he closed his eyes.

'_For someone claiming to have faith, you're giving up too easily Yugi.' _Yugi suddenly heard his Grandfather's voice in his head, '_Listen. Sometimes the cards can be like a puzzle. You have to put all the pieces in their proper place.'_

'_Like the Millennium Puzzle?' _Yugi asked him as if he were really there. The teenager didn't expect the phantom of his Grandfather to answer him, but it would do him some help if he could.

'_Exactly. Each piece builds a greater entity.' _His Grandfather said, fading away just as quickly as he came. Yugi reached out to him, but his Grandfather reminded him that it was like the pieces of a puzzle.

Suddenly, Yugi remembered a time when his Grandfather was still explaining Duel Monsters to him and Inari.

"_Duel Monsters contains only one unstoppable monster," Grandpa explained with a finger in the air. It was like he was delivering some piece of wisdom. Inari and Yugi leaned in, eager smiles on their faces. _

"_Exodia, but he can only be summoned by drawing all five special cards. To this day it is a feat that nobody has accomplished. _

Yugi was drawn out of his memories by Kaiba snapping at him out of impatience.

"Quit your stalling, Yugi." He snarled, "Or you will forfeit the match."

Yugi glared at Kaiba.

"I _never_ forfeit." He retorted while drawing a card. Yugi gasped as he realized that he drew another important piece of the puzzle. Kaiba, however, started to taunt him.

"Draw any card. It won't change a thing – My dragons may be frozen for two more turns, but my new monster is under no such spell!" Kaiba smirked that infuriating smirk once more as he summoned his monster. "The Judge Man! With an attack power of twenty-two hundred!"

And with that the Judge Man destroyed Yugi's facedown defense card. Yugi drew a card for his turn and he immediately felt relief flow through his body. It was one of the cards that he shared with Inari – she actually had two in her deck. She was a lucky girl. One she obtained from Grandpa and the other she found in a random bin of cards she saw at a yard sale. He could attack with the Dark Magician, however it would do little good when the dragons were free of the spell card he placed on the field.

"Dark Magician!" Yugi commanded and the purple spellcaster appeared in a flash of green light. Inari almost squealed in excitement, but she remembered that Jou was right behind her. Yugi smiled down at her – he knew her love for spellcaster and dragon cards, but she wasn't as obsessed as Kaiba was.

"Attack!" he commanded the Dark Magician and he easily destroyed the Judge Man.

"Your Judge Man falls" and Kaiba's life points were at one thousand.

"Ah, a sacrifice that doesn't even phase me, and though neither dragon can move for one more turn, my next card is…the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

All three friends jumped and cringed – Kaiba had a third Blue-Eyes?

"Now, my dragon, attack!" the Blue-Eyes attacked the Dark Magician and destroyed him in record time. Yugi's life points were now at four hundred. Yugi was now in danger of losing.

"So, tell me Yugi. How's your faith now?" Kaiba chuckled. "On my next turn all three Blue-Eyes White Dragons are free to attack. This game's over no matter what card you draw."

Yugi clenched his hands together and Inari felt tears well up in her eyes.

"Yugi…" she whispered as one trailed down her cheek.


	5. The Heart of the Cards Part Four

**Okay, I really didnt realize how short this was going to be so in the future there will only be three parts per episode =D**

**Thanks to:**

**grapejuice101 - Here's the update. I'm sorry it was so short.**

**MyLifeInWhole - Well, Kadaj is a cool person in his own way. I mean, my friends just started calling me Kitsune one day, but that might be because my favorite animals are foxes. (The name has stayed with me for 8 years.)**

**Alpenwolf - *hugs!* omg I totally forgot you reviewed this story lol. Shows you how ditzy I can be. Anyway, I'm basing her deck off of my own despite how mary-sue-ish that might seem. I am making some differences, though. I mean, I have 4 Dark Magician cards in my real deck so I didnt want her to have too many rare cards...**

**MCRDanime - Here's your update!**

**Oh, please vote on my poll! I want to know who your favorite Naruto character is! And if it's not in it, then just leave it in a review or message me XD**

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><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

**The Heart of the Cards Part Four**

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><p>"You can't possibly stand against my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons." Kaiba said with a sneer, "It's over, Yugi. You were never a match for me."<p>

"Don't listen, Yugi!" Jou shouted as he clenched his fist, but Yugi kept staring at his cards. Inari stared up at him, biting her lip in worry as he stared at the cards in his hand.

'_Kaiba had three Blue-Eyes all along. He only wanted Grandpa's card so it couldn't be used against him.' _he thought, mouth slightly open, '_My only chance now is to assemble all the pieces of Exodia…but the odds are against me. I don't think I can do this!_'

Yugi's face held uncertainty as he reached to draw his card, but Inari's voice caught his attention. It was weak from her illness, but he was able to pick it out from a crowd of many.

"Yugi…you can do this." She quietly said as she watched him from her position on her knees. He looked down to her and nodded slightly, feeling his confidence rise just a bit. He looked down at his friendship symbol and saw the heart drawn on his hand. He remembered the times he was being taught this very game, Inari right beside him. He remembered all of the times that they dueled each other and had fun.

Yugi was ready to draw that card.

"I've got to believe in the cards like Inari and Jou believe in me." He said to himself with a small smile.

"Draw your last pathetic card so I can end this, Yugi." Kaiba said with a smirk.

"My Grandpa's deck has no pathetic cards, Kaiba." Yugi replied, "But it does contain…the unstoppable Exodia." The other teenager replied as he flipped the Head of Exodia around so that Kaiba could see the picture.

"He did it!" Inari whispered, leaning down to cough in her hand. She was seeing spots and everything was getting foggy, but she would stick by Yugi until the end. Kaiba shrank back and looked at Yugi with wide eyes, a dark scowl set upon his face.

"Ah! Impossible!" the brunette teenager howled in anger.

"I've assembled all five special cards, all five pieces of the puzzle." His opponent said as a magic circle appeared onto the field. The large form of Exodia emerged from the magic circle and stared down the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons. He was actually much larger than the dragons were.

"Exodia! I-it's not possible!" Kaiba stuttered, taking a step back in shock. "No one's ever been able to call _him_!" he continued, staring with his eyes wide in disbelief.

"Exodia…obliterate!" Yugi commanded and Exodia obeyed. He held his chained hands together and a golden energy ball formed between them. He brought back his hand and when he thrust it forward, a golden stream of energy rushed forward. He destroyed all of his opponents on the field with one stroke. Kaiba screamed as his life points were reduced to zero.

"You did it!" Jou shouted in excitement, "Yugi, you won!"

"This can't be!" the little boy with the black hair said in shock, "My brother never loses!"

"You play only for power, Kaiba, and _that_ is why you lost. But if you put your heart in the game, there is nothing you can't do." Yugi said. Inari smiled and tried to stand, but her exhaustion finally set in. She tilted to the side and collapsed into Jou's arms as he rushed forward to catch her. Her face was flushed and the blond teen could see that staying here for the duel only made things worse for her illness.

"But how? How could I have lost to him?" Kaiba said as Inari looked at the two of them through hazy eyes. It took all of her willpower to keep conscious as Jou patted her face.

"Kaiba! If you truly want to know…open your mind!" the dark Yugi shouted as a strange eye appeared on his forehead. He thrust his hand out towards Kaiba and something else strange happened. Kaiba's demented and obsessed look disappeared and he felt faint, falling to his knees.

"There, Kaiba. May now you will begin to see." He said, turning and grabbing his deck before leaving the stadium. He rounded the corner, coming to a halt in shock as he saw Jou with Inari in his arms. Dark Yugi pocketed the deck and raced to his friend's side, hovering over the one he had known the longest.

"Inari!" he exclaimed, voice softening. His demeanor changed yet again, but this time it was back into the kindhearted teenager that Inari clung to in her time of youth. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at him.

"I knew you would win…" she said before her eyes rolled into the back of her eyes and she fainted. Yugi reached down to touch her forehead, surprised and horrified to find out exactly how hot it was.

"We need to get her to a hospital." Yugi said and Jou nodded, standing with her in a bridal style.

"Say no more, Yug. We got this." He said and the two of them exited the building, where a second ambulance was waiting for them.

Meanwhile, in a dark room, a silver haired man sat in a luxurious looking chair. He was drinking a glass of red wine and wearing a matching red suit.

"Master Pegasus. A boy by the name of Mutou Yugi has defeated Kaiba Seto." A man standing in the doorway said before bowing and leaving.

"Hm…interesting." The man said, swirling his wine around in the glass. He lifted his head and a glint where his left eye would be revealed that he had a fake eye.

It bore the same symbol that was on the Millennium Puzzle.


	6. The Gauntlet is Thrown Part One

**Rawr, Episode two part one is here!**

**I have a sailor moon poll up now, so vote on it if you want.**

**Thanks to:**

**grapejuice101 - Aww, aren't they cute? Inari doesnt trust Yami in the beginning, but she warms up to him eventually.**

**Alpenwolf - o.O I didn't relize exactly how many stories of mine you have reviewed. It makes me happy anyway *HUGS!* Anyway, I just have to review the rules for each season again. I mean, first they have like no rules, then tribute summoning for lvl 5 monsters and above, then new rules and such...It gets a bit complicated lol. **

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><p><strong>Chapter Five<strong>

**The Gauntlet is Thrown Part One**

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><p>Several days later and Inari was finally allowed to go home from the hospital. She and Yugi made their way back to their house, but the short teenager wouldn't let her hold anything. They came to a stop in front of the Game Shop and Yugi looked up at her with a serious face.<p>

"I was really scared, you know." Yugi softly said as he unlocked the door. Although the door was unlocked, the two of them didn't go inside just yet. He looked up at the girl he had lived with for the past few years.

"I thought you were going to die. I have never seen you that sick before." He said as he hugged Inari around the waist. Her eyes softened and she hugged him back, burying her face in his hair.

"Blame Kaiba." She said, "He was the one who kidnapped Grandpa and I. I'm sorry to have worried you." She continued in a soft voice. She stroked his hair away from his forehead causing the slightly older boy to blush, but he didn't let her see it. Instead, he just tightened his hold on her.

"It's not your fault. I just don't want to feel that again. You scared me." Yugi said again before sighing and looking up at her with tears in his eyes. Inari melted before crouching down and kissing Yugi's cheek.

"The next time Kaiba tries to kidnap me, I'll kick him where the sun don't shine. Okay?" she questioned and Yugi winced before laughing.

"Yeah, I think that'll work."

The next day the five friends were sitting in a corner of the classroom. Inari had finally accepted a duel challenge from Jou. This was the first time in a long time she had dueled and she hadn't missed a thing.

"Jou, make a move already!" Honda said, goading his friend on.

"Kay, here you go, tough guy!" Jou exclaimed, "My Rock Ogre is gonna knock your block off!"

Inari smiled and flipped over card that was in defense position. The card turned out to be Spirit of the Harp with a defense power of two thousand.

"Like that wimpy fairy card has a chance against my Rock Ogre." Inari raised an eyebrow and pointing to the defense points.

"My defense is higher. You are the one to take damage." She explained and Jou's life points lowered to eight hundred right at the start of the duel. Jou growled and placed down another card and attacked her defensive card. He lost eight hundred life points and the duel was automatically over.

"I'm sorry, Jou." She quietly said before packing away her deck.

"Hah, Jou, once again you lose and Inari rocks!" Anzu gloated, "Face it! Girls rule!"

Honda started to laugh as well. "You stink at this game."

Jou groaned and leaned over the desk, disappointed in himself.

After school, Jou, Yugi, and Inari were hanging out.

"Honda's right, Yugi. I do stink." Jou said, disappointed in himself, "I can't win at Duel Monsters to save my life. What is it, Yugi? Inari? Teach me what I'm doing wrong." He said, leaning on one of the bars outside of the school. Inari and Yugi were sitting on top of the other one. Inari was fiddling with the end of one of the ribbons holding her hair up as she went through her deck. Yugi hopped off of the bar, steadying Inari as she slipped to the side – she had been leaning on Yugi's shoulder.

"Well, let's start by studying your deck, Jou."

"Huh? Okay." The tall blond teenager said as he dug through his pocket. "Here ya go." He said as he handed his deck to his friend.

"Thanks." Then, Yugi started to flip through the cards.

"That's a powerhouse lineup, doncha think?" Jou asked as Yugi continued to flip through the cards. Inari was looking over Yugi's shoulder, but she was biting her lip. The only thing she saw was monsters.

"No one can win with these. Jou, you're deck is filled with nothing but monster cards!" Yugi said, but obviously Jou wasn't getting the picture.

"Yup! I packed it full of every but kicking monster I could find."

"Jou, that's not how the game works." Inari quietly said, holding out a Monster Reborn card. "See? I have magic cards in my deck. I have trap cards, too." She said, holding out a Trap Hole card.

"Huh?"

"Duel Monsters is all about _combining_ your monster cards with your magic cards to increase their strength." Yugi explained to his tall friend, "With no magic in your deck, your monsters will get creamed every time."

Jou suddenly ran from his side of the bars to Yugi's side, gripping his friend by the shoulders. "You see? This is the kind of stuff that I need to know! Yugi, Inari, you gotta help me learn more!"

"Uh…" Yugi trailed off. He then walked over to the bars and helped Inari jump down before the three of them started to walk back towards the Game Shop.

"Grandpa's the one who taught both of us to duel. Maybe he can help." Yugi explained.

"That's right." Inari agreed as the three of them came up on the shop.

"Hey Grandpa! I brought you a new student!" Yugi exclaimed as the three of them walked in the shop. Inari smiled as Grandpa looked down from his spot where he was hanging up a poster.

"Student?" he questioned as Jou approached with Yugi and Inari.

"I was hoping since you know more about Duel Monsters than anyone…maybe you'd teach me?" the tall blond teenager asked.

"Teach you?" the grey headed man questioned, "Duel Monsters is a very complex game."

"Yeah, tell me about it. Inari beat me three times in a row." Said girl blushed darkly as she turned to the side.

"Inari is dueling again?"

"I couldn't say no…" she softly said.

"Actually, Inari beat you five times in a row, Jou." Yugi added cheerfully as he patted his female friend's arm.

"Five? Aw man!" he exclaimed before noticing the poster on the wall.

"Hm. Yes, I could teach you to be a great tournament duelist." Grandpa said, "But only if you're willing to spend endless days and sleepless nights filled with rigorous training." He said with a sharp stare.

"Aah…piece o' cake." Jou said in a haughty voice. Grandpa glared at him.

"With an attitude like that, teaching you may not even be worth the effort."

"Nice going there, smartmouth!" Yugi reprimanded while Inari jabbed him in the ribs. She glared at the blond teen.

"Show some respect." She instructed.

"Please, Yugi! Inari! Help me convince him! I _will_ work hard! I promise!" Jou said, kneeling and bowing in front of Yugi. The shorter teen stepped back, a mischievous glint in his eye. Inari giggled as he responded to his friend's plea.

"Listen, Jou, teaching you Duel Monsters is too big a challenge." Yugi said with a sigh. "Even for my Grandpa."

"It's not…impossible." Grandpa said, falling for Yugi's ploy.

"Huh? You mean you will, Gramps?"

"Jou, he already said he can't do it and if he can't do it, he can't do it." Yugi said, looking down at his friend.

"Listen to your elders." Inari commented.

"I never said I couldn't do it." Grandpa said, closing one purple eye. "But if I agree, you must work hard!"

Jou stared up at him before saying, "I'll do anything. I promise, I promise!"

"Fine." Grandpa said. "Then we'll begin your training immediately and, believe me, you_ will_ learn." He said, cracking his knuckles together. "Now, can you name the most powerful Duel Monster?"

"Eh…no."

"Can you name the weakest?"

"No…"

"You do know what a trap card is, don't you?"

"Eh…kinda…eh…I have no idea."

Grandpa sighed. He had a lot of work to do. While they were talking downstairs, Inari pulled Yugi's sleeve and pointed upstairs. There was a Duel Monsters tournament going on and she didn't want to miss it. Yugi nodded, telling her that he would stay to help Jou, and she went upstairs to catch the final duel of the day.

A few weeks later, the tournament was in its final stretches. Tonight was the final duel of the tournament.

"Good evening duel fans and the ten million viewers at home. Welcome to the Duel Monsters Duel Dome where the Duel Monsters Regional Championship will be decided. Of the two hundred duelist that competed in this tournament only two competitors remain standing." Inari had the television on as she cracked her door, changing into comfy lounge pants and a tank top. She kept her hair up, but changed the ribbons into an older pair so not to damage the ones she wore to school.

"Put your cards together for Weevil Underwood, the Bug Brawler." Inari made it just in time to see Weevil emerge into the stadium. A large chill ran up her spine at the image. He had weird green hair and giant golden glasses. A weird grin was on her face. He actually reminded her of a bug.

"And his opponent, the number one ranked Rex Raptor, the Dino Duelist."

"Bug boy vs. Dinosaur breath" Jou commented as he plopped down on the couch next to her. Anzu and Honda had appeared as well, having changed into recreational clothing at their houses. Jou had changed, but he had changed in the bathroom of the Game Shop. Yugi decided not to because he didn't want to miss the duel.

"What kinda match is that? That shoulda been me in there!" Jou complained with tight fists.

"I know you've been training for weeks," Anzu said, "But those guys are in another league. You're just not ready yet." The brunette girl said.

"Listen to Anzu." Inari said quietly, lounging on the couch next to her short friend.

"Sure, rub it in." Jou said as he closed his eyes.

"And on top of that you're so tired you can't keep your eyes open." Yugi said, leaning forward to look at his friend's face. "I bet Grandpa's lessons have been a bit too tough for him." Yugi commented.

While Yugi had been talking, Jou had been dreaming.

_Jou was shuffling his deck like a pro, but then all of the cards scattered everywhere as his head collapsed on the dueling table. _

"_So tired. Must rest." Jou murmured as he closed his eyes. _

"_You have no time for rest!" Grandpa exclaimed as he slammed a wooden sword upon the dueling table. He scared the shit out of Jou and the blond teenager jumped back as cards flew everywhere. _

"_Did you come here to learn Duel Monsters or did you come here to catch up on your sleeping?" the older man exclaimed with a glare._

Honda leaned close to Jou as he whispered, "You see, it's true what they say. You snooze you lose!" he shouted the last part into Jou's ear.

"Aarg, I must have been nuts to have ever thought I could learn this crazy game."

"Time for your lesson." Grandpa said as he came in carrying a strange box. Jou jumped, whirling around on the couch.

"Wha? We're not done?" he questioned in a tired voice.

"Not by a long shot, you slacker." Inari laughed out loud at Jou's tired and exasperated face.

"Now quit your whining, Jou. I know you've been working long and hard, but you really are coming along as a duelist. And I'm quite proud of you." Gradpa said.

Jou's eyes started to water. "Really? Gramps, thank you!" he got up to hug Grandpa, but the old man easily maneuvered out of the way.

"Oh, I almost forgot. This package came for you, Yugi. Actually, it's addressed to both you and Inari."

"Package? What is it Gramps?" Yugi questioned.

"I dunno. It just came in the mail."

"Huh." Yugi commented.

"It's from Industrial Illusions." Inari quietly said with a tilt of her head.

"Industrial Illusions? That's the company that makes the Duel Monsters game. Why would they be sending a package to you two?"

"I dunno. Is it possible that they heard that I beat the world champion?" Yugi questioned. Inari shook her head.

"But then why would they be sending something to both of us?"

"I dunno…but let's open the box." Yugi said.


	7. The Gauntlet is Thrown Part Two

**Right, so I admit this is a little short, too, but I just found my season one collection DVD set - they have different breaks than the videos on Youtube or anything like that so, I'm just going to break the chapters when the episodes break. That way they're not too long.**

**Thanks to:**

**grapejuice101 - here's the next chapter. I'll try to update soon!**

**Alpenwolf - *HUG* I have too many stories to update at once! Eek...o.o I wish I didn't have school so I could update every story a lot more than I've been doing. And the explanation to why he sent it to Inari is in the next chapter when they're sending banter back and forth.**

**ILoveReadingAndWriting - hah, it's a cliffie. Of course.**

**Dynasty-Feral - I'm glad you're liking the story.**

**TheBeginingsEnd - Of course...**

**MCRDanime - Here's the update! Man, I'm sorry it's so late on Friday, but my internet was like shot and it took a while to fix. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

**The Gauntlet is Thrown Part Two**

* * *

><p>Yugi moved to open the box, but the roar of the television caught everyone's attention once again.<p>

"This is a long duel." Inari quietly said as she snuggled into her seat even more. It wasn't that she disliked long duels, it was the fact that she found the two people who were dueling to be mean, ugly, and annoying.

"Your move." Rex sneered as his turn was over. His opponent, Weevil with the gross green bowl cut, snickered in his annoying highly pitched voice.

"And all I have is this weak little bug." Weevil said as he put down a card. In a flash of green light a giant flying green mantis appeared.

"Weevil Underwood counters with a Basic Insect card!" the giant mantis had an attack power lower than his opponents.

"He puts down a wimpy bug against a giant dinosaur? The place'll be covered in bug guts." Jou said.

Yugi looked at the screen in contemplation. "Maybe, but I wouldn't underestimate Weevil." The tricolored haired teenager warned. Inari nodded her head.

"Although he is annoying, Weevil is a formidable foe." She quietly said.

"King Rex!" Raptor exclaimed, "Let's take this championship! Stomp him!" he demanded the giant two headed purple dinosaur to follow his bidding. It roared, moving to follow its owners command when Weevil started to giggle like a child.

"You've attacked your way into my trap!" Weevil continue to grin in a creepy manner. "But then, how could your tiny dinosaur brain know?" he continued to laugh, "When an enemy attacks, my vortex activates."

"Oh no!" Rex exclaimed, "It's a trap card!" the dinosaur duelist was cursing himself within his head.

"Which _totally _traps your King Rex in its inescapable embrace." Weevil pointed to his opponent and the King Rex was encased in a swirling vortex.

"No! My King Rex!"

"And while he's trapped there, I'll upgrade my basic insect by giving him armor with Laser Cannon!" Weevil exclaimed and a yellow light hit his mantis-like insect. "Not such a weak little bug anymore, huh?" as the bug's new armor appeared around his body.

"Attack!" Weevil exclaimed, pointing to the King Rex monster. It was destroyed in a flash of red light by the yellow beam emitted from the bug's cannon.

"And King Rex is extinct." Weevil smirked.

"Aww," Rex groaned, "Beat by a bug." The purple haired teenager sighed.

"Oh! An astonishing upset by Weevil Underwood! Our newest champion!" the announcer exclaimed. Weevil grinned and held up his deck

"Man, King Rex squashed by an insect?" Jou questioned with wide eyes. Inari had a bad feeling welling up in her stomach.

"And now, a very special honor for our new champion! Here to present the Duel Monsters Championship trophy…The creator of Duel Monsters and president of Industrial Illusions!"

The floor to the arena slid backwards and a man with shoulder length silver head dressed in a red suit emerged. He held a golden trophy, intended for the Champion.

"Congratulations." The man in the red suit said.

"Uh, thank you." Weevil said as he accepted the trophy, a blush on his face.

"And, as Regional Champion, I invite you to compete in a bold new tournament I'm hosting at Duelist Kingdom." The creator of Duel Monsters said. He didn't let Weevil reply to what he said, instead he left the building and got into a private car.

"Sir," his assistant addressed him, "With the announcement you have made tonight, you'll have thousands of duelists flocking to Duelist Kingdom."

Instead of looking at him, the silver haired man answered, "Yes. And events such as this will hopefully attract those who possess the Millennium Items I seek." He said, "Which reminds me."

"The package was delivered to the boy with invitations to both him and his female friend. Just as you ordered, sir." The assistant said with a serious face.

"Excellent." He said with a dark tone.

Back in the Kame Game Shop, everyone had turned their attention back towards the box.

"Hah, with all this excitement of the Championships, you forgot to open the package, Yugi." Grandpa laughed with that hearty tone of his.

"What could it be?" Inari questioned, shaking her head as one of the ribbons tickled her neck.

"I don't know." Yugi responded, opening the box. Inside were two gloves, four stars, and a video tape.

"Huh. Some kind of glove for the both of you." Anzu stated in confusion.

"What's with the stars?" Jou questioned.

"Maybe there's an explanation on the video?" Honda questioned and he reached down for the tape. He handed it to Yugi, who stared at it in confusion.

"Pop it in and check it out." Jou said and Inari nodded.

"Okay." Yugi said and he popped it into the VCR. Inari and the others gathered around him, but she sat next to him and a little away from the other teenagers. They watched the video change from static to the familiar face of the Duel Monsters creator.

"Greetings little Yugi. My dearest Inari." And a chill ran down her back. When he talked to her, he seemed so familiar. "I am the creator of Duel Monsters and president of Industrial Illusions." The man said.

"Wha?" Jou questioned.

"We just saw him on television!" Anzu exclaimed. Inari's eyes widened as she remembered his voice. There was just something about it that made her want to run and hide.

"The great president of Industrial Illusions sends greetings to my Yugi and Inari?" Grandpa murmured, a little concerned.

"I have heard some terribly interesting things about you, Yugi. You, too, Inari." The silver haired man said. "Yugi, your impressive defeat of Seto Kaiba intrigued me so much I've decided to investigate your amazing dueling skills personally. Right here, right now. We shall hold a special duel. We'll play with a strict time limit of fifteen minutes and when time's up, the player with the highest life points will be the winner." The silver haired man said, completely serious.

"Are you ready?" the man questioned Yugi as everyone stared at the video in shock.

"What?" Yugi breathed.

"Wha – he can't seriously be expectin' you to duel against a video tape!" Jou exclaimed.

"That's crazy!" Honda interjected. Inari's bad feeling grew in her stomach as she placed her hand on top of Yugi's. He glanced at her and flipped his hand so that he could intertwine their fingers.

"No, it's _magic_!" and with that, everyone surrounding Yugi and Inari turned a kind of diluted color. It looked like Inari was not affected because she had been holding onto Yugi's hand when it happened. She looked at him, eyes wide and scared, so he tightened his grip on her hand.

"Everything's growing dark and cold and the others aren't moving." Yugi murmured, looking behind him.

"What's going on, Yugi?" the teenager next to him whimpered, pressing herself against his side.

"I don't know." he said softly to her before whirling around to face the other man. "What have you done to them? Where have you taken us?" Yugi demanded.

"We're no longer in the world you know." the silver haired man smirked. "But I will return you after our game." He continued as if it were such a small thing. Yugi and Inari shared a look and Inari moved behind him, sliding her hand up so that it was on his shoulder. They didn't dare risk losing contact or else Yugi feared that she would become dark and motionless as well.

"Then it's time to duel!" the young teenager shouted. The puzzle around his neck began to glow and Inari almost took her hand off his back, but his hand came down on top of hit. His voice became deeper and his features sharper, not to mention that he was taller again. He had phased into the darker Yugi that she saw when he was dueling Kaiba.

"I will not harm you." His deep voice murmured as he looked over his shoulder at her.

"Promise?" she questioned in a small voice. She bit her lip as she awaited his answer.

"You have my word. I promise you." He said with a small smile. He turned to the silver haired man, eyes narrowed.

"Start the clock and make your move." He said in a cocky voice.

"Certainly. Let's begin." The video replied as if he were really talking to the boy. "Nervous, Yugi-boy? You should be." He said while he placed one card down. "You have _never_ faced a duelist like me before."

"You may be good," the dark Yugi said while drawing a card.

"I assure you, I am." The older man said with a smirk.

"But I will beat you to save my friends." The dark Yugi continued as he held a card in front of him. Inari looked at the cards in her friend's hands, but there was nothing she could do for him. She didn't know what he was thinking and he most likely thought in a different way than the normal Yugi did.

She looked up and gasped, paling at the yellow light that was emitting from where the older man's right eye should be.

"You won't save anyone with that dragon card." The silver haired man said. Inari gasped – how did he know what kind of card Yugi had?

"How?" dark Yugi gasped.

"I told you that you've never face anyone like me before." The older man smirked. "I know every move you'll make before you can ever make it!"


	8. The Gauntlet is Thrown Part Three

**Sorry for the wait! At least the chapter is longer this time. **

**Thanks to:**

**grapejuice101 - thanks for the review.**

**Alpenwolf - *HUG* No, it wouln't be entertaining at all. I mean, if everyone won everything (which is impossible) then it would be very boring. **

**Lunar Mist - Aah, thanks for the input. I've never known a selectivley mute person, so I wouldnt know how much they would actually talk. When the story is finished, I'll go back and change that. **

**ILoveReadingAndWriting - thanks for the review!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<strong>

**The Gauntlet is Thrown Part Three**

* * *

><p>The dark Yugi growled at the silver haired man on the screen. Inari actually shuddered as she heard him growl.<p>

"Knowing every move you make gives me a distinct advantage, wouldn't you say?" the older man said in his silvery tongue.

"What?" the dark Yugi gasped.

"For example, I can anticipate your next move and counter with this Dragon Capture Jar." The silver man said as he let the card start to glow. "It will draw the Kumouri Dragon from your card and imprison the beast."

Inari gasped lightly as she saw the purple dragon appear and then explode in a giant puff of purple smoke. The purple smoke slithered its way over to the screen and was sucked into the card. She couldn't believe what was happening. This was _impossible_. The dark Yugi brought up his free hand to squeeze the one she had on his shoulder. He looked behind him and gave her a barely discernable nod. It was then that she remembered that he had said she would be safe.

"Trapped, never to be played against me." Inari winced. She was really getting annoyed by his voice.

_This is crazy! _Yugi thought to himself, _First he reads my mind, then he brings my monster card to life. I really hope he won't get to Inari. It seems she's alright when she's touching my shoulder. _

"This dark dimension we're in is known as 'The Shadow Realm'. A mystical place where monsters can be summoned and the impossible is quite possible."

The dark Yugi shifted forward a bit more.

"But what you're telling me can't be true." He said, forgetting that he was talking to a video tape.

"Tell me, Yugi. Do believe there is magic in these cards?" the older man questioned before shifting his gaze to Inari. "What about you, dear Inari? Do _you_ believe in the magic in these cards?"

Inari barely stifled another gasp before burying her face in the dark Yugi's back.

"Don't you know? You invented this game." He paused before glancing back at his friend. "And leave Inari out of this."

"What if I told you I didn't?" the man's words shocked both Inari and Yugi. What was he talking about? "In ancient times, the Egyptians called this the 'Shadow Game.' Powerful pharaohs would hold mystical duels in other dimensions. Just as we are doing now." The silver haired man explained, never once losing the smirk that stretched across his ugly face. "But not with cards. _They _battled with real monsters and real magic. Magical forces so powerful the Egyptians lost control of them and nearly destroyed the entire world." The silver haired man grinned at the two as they stared at him with disbelieving expressions.

"It's a good story, Pegasus, but these monsters can't be real." The dark Yugi exclaimed as he glared at the man on the video tape.

"Tell that to my Dragon Piper!" the silver haired man exclaimed as a purple beam burst forth from the board. Inari screamed lightly and buried her face into his back once more. The beam formed a purple monster with gold accents. It held a pipe and held it to its nonexistent lips.

"His Flute of Resurrection will free your Kumouri Dragon, but puts him under my control!" the sounds of the flute filled the room as the purple dragon formed once again.

"I have to counterattack." The dark Yugi murmured to himself. He listened to Inari whisper behind his ear and he took her advice. "Silverfang!" he exclaimed as the silver wolf formed on the field. The wolf growled threateningly as he took a protective stance in front of the dark Yugi and Inari. The dragon, however, was too powerful as he forced flames to cross through the television. The flames destroyed the silver wolf, threatening to burn the dark Yugi and Inari. She whimpered as he brought up his arm to protect them.

"The heat!" he exclaimed to himself, still having a hard time believing that the world they were in was real. His life points dropped to fifteen hundred.

"Hah!" the silver haired man boasted as he threw his head back to laugh, "As you see, Yugi, these monsters are very real." He continued to laugh to himself before he continued, "And also quite dangerous," and he continued to laugh even more.

"Ah, Yugi-kun. You really are quite entertaining. The way you scowl and sneer. So defiant and yet helpless. You can't do a thing to protect her, Yugi. You are so completely ignorant of the power of your Millennium Puzzle."

"Your puzzle?" Inari questioned quietly as she peeked over dark Yugi's shoulder.

"What?" he questioned, looking at the television screen.

"Five thousand years ago, a powerful Pharaoh locked the magic of the Shadow Games away." He said, staring the dark Yugi down.

"What's this have to do with me?" the dark Yugi questioned in an impatient voice.

"The Pharaoh captured these vast magical energies in seven mystical Millennium Items." The silver haired man explained.

"Seven items?" the dark Yugi questioned, "And you're saying that my puzzle is one of them?"

"Yes, and there are mystical energies locked within it." The other man sneered down at him in a superior tone of voice. "Magic that could change your life forever if you only knew how to unleash it."

"But why are you telling me this?" the dark Yugi questioned. If it was really so powerful, why would the other man tell him?

"Why?" the other man questioned, "Well, simply because I need you to know." He then placed a card face down, "But perhaps I've said too much. And since the clock is still ticking, I propose that we resume playing our little duel." The silver haired man said.

The dark Yugi stared hard at the screen before glancing away. _He's right, _he thought, _Time's running out and I still haven't figured out if he can really read my mind or if it's some kind of trick. _

He was too busy looking downward, but Inari was still staring at the screen. She opened her mouth to speak, but the thought died in her mouth as she saw the silver haired man lift his hair. He had a normal eye, but the eye that was covered by his hair was not real. In all actuality, it freaked her out a lot. Instead of a normal eye, it was an eye with the same shape as the eye on Yugi's puzzle. It glowed and she could see the smirk that spread across his face. She wanted to tell dark Yugi about it, but he had already started to formulate a plan.

_I have to think of something…maybe my Zombie Warrior. _He thought as he selected the card. He then froze as the silver haired man on the tape laughed. _Wait a minute. He definitely knows what I'm about to do. But how? I bet it has something to do with that weird eye of his. _Yes, dark Yugi noticed the eye, but he was not as afraid of it as his female friend, _That's it, isn't it? That weird eye must somehow let him see the cards in my hand. So no matter which card I pick, he's already one step ahead of me. But that gives me an idea. _

"Hurry up, Yugi-kun. Time is running out." The silver haired man taunted as he lifted his head. "For you and your friends." He trailed off as his eyes flickered to the girl hiding behind dark Yugi.

_He is expecting me to play one of the cards in my hand. But what if I play a card even I haven't seen yet?_ He opened his eyes as he finally came up with an idea. _What happens if I draw a new card straight from the deck without even looking at it?_ He did what he thought and looked up as the silver haired man began to speak.

"I already know you plan to play the Zombie Warrior." He sneered down at the two teenagers. "And I'm all ready to counter it with a trap card that makes even zombies lie down and play dead." He said, but Inari smiled. She knew Yugi didn't play the Zombie Warrior.

"Not this time. I figured out your little game, Pegasus. You may be able to see the cards in my hand, but you can't see the cards I've pulled from the deck." The dark Yugi smirked as Inari giggled in delight from behind him.

"Hm?" the silver haired man questioned as the dark Yugi leaned down and flipped over his card.

"My next card…is the Dark Magician." Inari gasped in delight. The card had always tied her and Yugi together.

"Oh, a big scary Dark Magician." The silver haired man said, waving his hand around.

"Mock me all you like, Pegasus, but my magician will destroy that dragon!"

"Go ahead if you think it'll help." The silver haired man said with a sneer.

"It'll do more than help." The dark Yugi said in a smug tone. "It'll bring you closer to defeat and bring me closer to saving my friends.

"If it can do all that, then by all means play it." The silver haired man said in defeat. The Dark Magician card was activated and Inari watched in awe as the purple clad magician floated above them. He twirled his staff and pointing it threateningly at the silver haired man.

"Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" the dark Yugi exclaimed and the Dark Magician smirked, throwing out his hand. The dragon, and the silver haired man, both cried out and the dragon was effectively destroyed. The other man's life points were lowered to twelve hundred.

"Nicely played!" the other man said with a grin, "But by using your Dark Magician, you've let me manipulate you once again." The dark Yugi jerked back, not believing what the other man was saying. "By playing that one card, you've ensured my victory."

"No." dark Yugi said in a deep tone. Inari actually shuddered at that. She couldn't help but want her light Yugi back.

"We'll see about that." The other man sneered. He picked up a card and acted surprised, "Oh, it's a rare card!" he waved the card around. "This is the fearsome Faceless Mage."

"I've never seen that card before." The dark Yugi said as he drew back in shock and curiosity, but then his brow furrowed. "But my Dark Magician is one of the strongest magic cards in the game."

"But how will he fare when I combine my Faceless Mage with the equally rare Eye of Illusion?" the silver haired man questioned as the two cards combined in the air. Then, the mage came flying towards the Dark Magician.

"Dark Magician, Dark Magic Attack!" he exclaimed and the Dark Magician tried to attack with his magic. The mage raised its hands and the eye appeared in the middle. It then shot out towards the Dark Magician, cancelling out his attack.

"Dark Magician!" he cried out, hoping the magician had survived the attack. The smoke cleared and he growled in anger. Neither of the two cards had been destroyed.

"His Faceless Mage should have been destroyed." He murmured to himself. "But it's still standing and I'm running out of time." Five minutes were left on the clock.

_I'm up by three hundred life points, but only because he's toying with me. I've got to find a way to beat him at his own shadow game. _


	9. Author's Note

I apologize to all of my readers and fans, but this is what I feel like I have to do. Either I'm going to let someone take over my stories, or I'm going to delete all of them with the intention on reposting some heavily edited (some not heavily edited) stories. I'm going to repost one at a time and I've decided on posting my Naruto story first. I will put up a new poll asking people to vote on the one they want me to work on after I finish the Naruto story.

The reason why I haven't posted in the last year or so is difficult to explain, but a rough summary would be that I was Saved by the Lord and I found a wonderful relationship with the man of my dreams. I've been working on some original stuff and I hope to have some stuff published in the future.

Thank you for being so understanding.


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